Best $38 I ever spent

I just found the coolest new loudspeaker I have ever owned. I am sitting in a hotel room in San Antonio Texas listening to it play my favorite tunes and loving it.

Now before you get too excited I will disclose that this post is an unashamed selfish plug for one of my sons. My oldest son, Lon, has been around high-end audio all his life and some of it has rubbed off. I’ll tell you the story.

A year or so ago Lon travelled to the Hong Kong electronics fare and spent two days scouring the vendors to see if there was anything interesting. He came back with only one item: a small bluetooth enabled loudspeaker. Over for dinner one evening he was excited to show me this little gem. “Pop, am I nuts? This thing sounds amazing to me.”

A quick listen and it was obvious he had something that actually worked, actually sounded good. I was pretty blown away and encouraged him to move forward with its design and introduction. This tiny little cube that he literally threw to me across the room, was making music. I mean, this thing fits in the palm of your hand and fills the room with sound. Not tinny, not aggressive, its sound is stunning for what it is. He and his industrials designer added their aesthetic touches and the result is the coolest package I’ve seen.

One of my favorite internet radio stations is Seattle’s KPLU, Jazz 24, Their musical selections are just wonderful. I am a subscriber and supporter of their station. I now listen to them exclusively on this tiny, battery powered gem. I am listening to them right now as I type this in my hotel room. Here’s a picture of the speaker.

Check out this amazing little speaker

And the best part? This thing is $38 delivered. Yeah, no kidding. Here’s the link.

Like I said, this is clearly an unashamed plug for my son, but it’s also a product I am really in love with. It’s great. If you decide to pick one up, drop me a note and let me know what you think.

It goes outside while you’re working in the yard, travels with you in your shaver pouch, or sits on the dash of your car while you’re driving, all fed from whatever is playing on your phone.

Truly amazing. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

About Paul McGowan

Paul McGowan is the co-founder of PS Audio (The 'P' ) and has been designing, building and enjoying high end audio since 1974. He lives in Boulder Colorado with his wife Terri and his four sons: Lon, Sean, Scott and Rob. His hobbies include hiking, skiing, cooking, artisan bread baking. His current big project, other than playing with stereos, is writing a book series called the Carbon Chronicles. Book One, the Lost Chronicle, is a work in progress. You can view his efforts at http://www.paulmcgowan.com

Arnie…to paraphrase the words of Satchel Page, don’t look over your shoulder, Lon is gaining on you.Hey Paul, do you think if I planted one of those in my backyard and watered it, it would grow into an Infinity IRS? Mighty oaks from tiny acorns and all that stuff. Or would it be more like magic beans and grow into one overnight. I just don’t have 75 years to wait. 🙂

If you think this thing is a great deal, check out the E100 Mini Speaker from Part Express. It’s basically the same thing but mushroom shaped, runs longer than 5 hours, and sounds fantastic for what it is. Best part? They are on sale right now for $15.89. We bought a bunch of them at Christmas and gave them to all our friends. It has a Class D 3 Watt amp and works well out to at least 30 feet.Sam J.

I love Parts Express but for small orders their shipping rates really suck (although they do ship fast). That’s why we ordered a bunch of these as gifts to get free shipping. I can’t compare them as I haven’t tried the E100, but I trust Paul that it sounds great. I just don’t see the point of spending more for a mono Bluetooth speaker (although they are BOTH a lot cheaper than the overpriced competition).

Firstly, thanks Dad! 🙂 We have been overwhelmed with orders after this post and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your support of Little Speaker. I’m excited, maybe a bit nervous, to hear feedback from the audiophile community. Who’s going to be the first to charge their Little Speaker with a Power Plant and take a picture of it??

Ion,I received my speaker yesterday and set it up to charge. Today, I paired it with my iPhone and it has not been off yet. I have to parrot your father, it is the best $38 I ever spent. I have sent out emails to my 5 children to order theirs and extras for the grandchildren.

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